1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information recording apparatus adapted to convert video information conforming to the DVD-VR (Video-Recording) format into video information conforming to the DVD-Video format. More particularly, it relates to an information recording apparatus having a function feature of judging if the apparatus can convert given information or not.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks) have become commercially available, images recorded on disk are often re-recorded, edited and/or reproduced at an enhanced degree of frequency. For example, when recording an image by means of a DVD recording/reproducing apparatus, it is normally recorded conforming to the DVD-VR format image information recorded conforming to the DVD-Video format is normally replayed by means of a DVD player.
However, the image information recorded by means of a DVD recording/reproducing apparatus conforming to the DVD-VR format cannot be replayed by means of an ordinary DVD player. Therefore, if a user wants to replay a picture of a wedding ceremony recorded conforming to the DVD-VR format by means of a home use DVD player, the video information of the picture needs to be converted into video information conforming to the DVD-Video format.
When converting video information conforming to the DVD-VR format into video information conforming the DVD-Video format, firstly it is necessary to determine if the video attributes (including the aspect ratio and the number of pixels) and the audio attributes (including the recording mode such as AC3/LPCM and the sound mode such as stereo/mono/dual-mono) conform to the DVD-Video format for all the stream in order to carrying out the converting operation.
With any known method of converting image information conforming to the DVD-VR format into image information conforming to the DVD Video specifications for the purpose of dubbing video information conforming to the DVD-VR format on a DVD-R, DVD-R/W medium conforming to the DVD-Video format, it is necessary to check if the video/audio attributes of the original video information conform to the DVD-Video format for all the stream in order to carry out the dubbing operation. In other words, if the dubbing comes to a point where the video information is no good in terms of the format during an operation of writing video information on a DVD-R or DVD-R/W medium, the converting operation needs to be suspended at that point to waste the DVD-R or DVD-R/W medium. If the converting operation is conduced before the operation of writing video information on the DVD-R or DVD-R/W medium and a DVD-R write operation is started only when the compatibility is confirmed after the converting operation, the time required for preparing a finished DVD-R or DVD-R/W medium is equal to the time spent for the converting operation and the time spent for the write operation, which is nearly twice as long as the time necessary for the actual write operation and hence the overall operation is poorly efficient.